by M. L. Briers
“That’s amusing- you’re a funny guy-“ she snapped back with a level of sarcasm, even a country bumpkin like him could absorb- “Get the hell off me and explain why you did that.” She finished not even bothering to waste her time trying to push him off.
Cade wanted nothing more than to stay right where he was- get even closer to her, but his mind was overriding his body on this occasion- he knew who she was and he needed to make a good impression- not start making love to her on the damned ground- he rolled away from her and got to his feet in one easy movement- although his arousal strained in protest at his groin, he ignored it. Holding his hand down to her to help her to her feet.
Vicky raised herself to her elbows and watched the closest thing to perfection get to his feet and hold out one large hand for her to take- his eyes flashing both humour and desire down at her and she didn’t hesitate in reaching for him- her hand fitted within his and she felt the sheer power of the man as he pulled her to her feet in one swift movement- his body so damned close to her that she could feel the heat come from him- smell his scent about her and practically feel his masculinity against her again.
“I have to say you’re taking it quite well- considering.” He was so damned tall that she had to tip her head back to look up at him as he gazed down at her with an intensity that she felt deep within.
“The whole flying tackle thing?-“ She looked for clarity and he nodded on a sly smile- she seemed unable or was It unwilling to take her eyes from his. “Well you don’t strike me as the kind of guy to do it for kicks- or with malicious intent- you let me up, so you’re not a threat to me-“ She paused and took him in from head to toe- the boots- black jeans, slung low over lean hips- the black soft jumper that clung to his well defined chest, under the black suede jacket that sat on broad shoulders, open and exposing him to the elements- and that face- those dark eyes, that captivated her and spoke of desires that she had only fantasised about.
“-At the moment-“ She added on reflection and his smile spread wider across his handsome face, drawing her in, making her feel something that had the hairs on her body rising in attention and a hum to her skin that she wasn’t aware was due to him, she’d put it down to the adrenalin rush, but now that was subsiding- well..
“Traps.” He offered and she was sure that there had been a slight wince when he said the word, but it was so fleeting she could have been wrong.
“Not a local girl-“ She offered with a shrug of her shoulders, oblivious and he nodded acknowledging what she was telling him, looking around the ground, he walked towards the tree line and yanked out a broken branch from the underbrush- motioning for her to come towards him, she complied and he held up a palmed hand, stopping her a few feet away.
With the end of the branch in his large hands he thrust the tip into the long brown brush, the sound of wood hitting metal was followed by the metal snap of the trap eating into the branch- he lifted the contraption from the ground with the branch gnawed between the metal teeth for her to see and watched the long shiver that ran through her body.
“Who the hell put that there?” She shivered again, almost feeling the bite of that thing on her ankle- what an inhuman way to snare an animal.
“You’re grandfather didn’t like wolves on his property- these stretch out all down the east side and around the bottom end- everywhere his property meets mine in fact. Don’t know if there’s any anywhere else, but I suspect there could be.”
Vicky wrapped her arms around herself against the coldness she was feeling- but the trouble was, that cold was on the inside of her flesh not the outside.
“That’s just damned wrong-“ She turned away from the man and what he was showing her- the thought of the wolf she had seen only minutes earlier came into her mind and she turned back towards the tree line.
“Couldn’t agree more- but your grandfather didn’t see it that way-“ He noticed her eyes searching and dropped the trap back onto the ground. “What is it?”
“Before you- flying tackled me to the ground, there was a wolf at the trees- it was just strange that-“ She stopped on a shake of her head, almost dismissing her own thoughts before she entertained them.
“Go on-“ He offered wanting to hear what she thought of his brothers- he’d seen the wolf- it was Blue the pack sister he had sent down to watch for her arrival- it felt somehow important to him to know what she was thinking- like it would mean something whichever side of the fence she came down on.
“ I just didn’t get the vibe from it that it wanted to attack me- maybe I’m romanticizing the wolf- but maybe it was trying to tell me there was a damned trap there- they’re supposed to be smart right?” She turned her eyes towards him and saw the look he was giving her- like she was a birthday present he wanted to unwrap and she actually did take a physical step backwards feeling the heat rise in her cheeks.
“I amuse you- good to know- well you know what- if I want to believe that wolf was looking out for me and not a bloodthirsty beast, who was waiting for me to step in the trap so he could have lunch, good for me-“ She did an immediate about face and started back in the direction of the house.
Cade’s brows rose high on his forehead as he watched the fiery little human stalk off and with a shake of his head, he followed her.
“Now hold on now- it seems to me, your thinking is more in line with the way my family have thought of those wolves for generations. They are smart- very in fact and we let them roam our land- come and go as they please and we’ve never had any trouble with them- so as much as I like to see that spark of fire in your eyes- maybe you should contain it until I really piss you off.”
She stopped so abruptly that he nearly rolled right over the top of her- taking a step back as she turned towards him, her eyes narrowing for a long moment when she pouted those full lips at him and he felt himself getting hard again in an instant- damn this was unexpected- he’d not been expecting to be attracted to her with this intensity- and she was old man Taylor’s kin, he’d never expected her to be so damned hot.
“Fair enough. I apologise.” She had surprised him so many times since he first met her, that his head was practically spinning and when she turned back away from him and started strolling off again, he shook his head to try and get some coherent thought back into his brain before he followed behind her again.
“So you own the property next door?” She asked over her shoulder and he took a few long strides, until he was walking beside her.
“Yes mam- my kin and I.”
“Your name wouldn’t be Blackthorn would it?” She surprised him again and he faltered in his step, but recovered quickly enough that he didn’t think she had noticed.
“Yes Mam. Cade Blackthorn.”
“My grandfather wrote me about you- he didn’t much care for you Mr Blackthorn.” She was surprisingly honest for city folk- but the fact that her grandfather had spoken about him might be something of a problem.
“No he didn’t. We didn’t see eye to eye on the wolves for one thing.” He might as well be honest, after all, he didn’t have a clue what her grandfather had told her and he would need to find that out at some point.
“Well I’m not my grandfather Mr Blackthorn- those damn things are inhumane and if you could give me a number for someone locally to take care of them- I’d appreciate it.”
Cade was so impressed he could have shifted right there and then as his wolf howled it’s approval of her within him.
“No need, if you’ll let my men onto your land Ms Gerrard, we’ll take care of those for you- scout the rest of the land- see if your grandfather put anything anywhere else out there that could hurt the wolves.”
Vicky thought it over for a long moment and he watched her profile with interest- damn he was attracted to this human like no other before her and it was pretty damned disconcerting.
“I’ll pay your men for their trouble-“ She offered and he shook his head again, a smile crossing his face as he dug his hands deep into the pockets of h
is jeans, so he didn’t reach out and touch her. Stop her in her tracks and drag her against his body, which was where he wanted her right now.
“That’s not necessary- it’ll be payment enough knowing the wolves will be safer should they accidentally roam onto your land.” She turned her eyes on him and found only sincerity- although she didn’t like being beholding to anyone, he seemed genuinely concerned for the animals.
“Well the wolves are free to come onto my property anytime they wish- this was their land long before my family settled here.” She jogged up the steps to the porch and he waited below- not wanting to push his luck, even though his damned wolf was starting to feel right at home with this woman, she stopped and turned back towards him, her eyes questioning him.
“It’s customary to be invited onto your property round these parts.” He offered with a wry smile and she bit off a chuckle.
“Well Mr Blackthorn, if you had waited to be invited on my property, you wouldn’t have just saved me a trip to the emergency room and a broken ankle at the very least. Please. Come in.”
Damn, but he liked this woman, she was honest and warm- but fiery enough to have his pulse racing and then there was the fact that she was beautiful, with those Jade green eyes that held his attention and got him hard- he didn’t even want to consider the fact that she had his inner wolf wrapped around her finger right now, with her concern for his kind.
“Thank you-“ He took two steps up and then remembered the food he had left on the front seat of his truck, when he had gone to rescue her. “Wait I come baring food parcels.” He turned on his heels and ran back to his truck, gathering Anna’s cooking, he made his way back to the back steps and surprisingly, he found she was exactly where he had left her- waiting for him on the porch.
“A - sorry your grandfather died, even though we didn’t like him gesture-?” She looked from the tupperware in his arms to his eyes and he felt his heart do a two step in his chest as the blood pooled at his groin again.
“You don’t pull any punches Ms Gerrard.” He offered on another wry smile and she shrugged her shoulders.
“I’m a city girl Mr Blackthorn. I like to call it as I see it and call me Vicky.” She turned to open the back door and motioned for him to enter.
“Well Vicky- then I think we are going to get on just fine and you can call me Cade.”
“Shall I put these away for you?” He followed her into the kitchen, both of them eyeing the surroundings for the first time and neither of them much caring for the dated worn feel of the room.
“Sure and I’ll hunt the kettle down and prey the old man had coffee.” He shot her a look and she shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not cold Mr- Cade- I didn’t know the man and from what I understand, he didn’t want to know me.” Cade walked across the room and heaved the door open to the antiquated appliance. Virtually empty shelves greeted him and he found himself mentally slapping Whit on the back for the food idea- at least he knew that Vicky would to have something to eat.
Vicky set about making coffee, while Cade sat down at the kitchen counter- the old tile surface having seen better days as he traced an absent finger over the cracks in the tile.
“I take it you have a good life, somewhere not here?” Cade asked realising that he actually wanted to know about her, what she did, who she did it with and she stirred what she supposed was meant to be coffee in the cups and turned with them to set them down- one in front of him and one marking her place as she went back to get the sugar.
“Or asked another way- will I be selling up any time soon.” She slipped up onto the stool opposite him and nudged the sugar in his direction, he raised a hand slightly to decline.
“That too.”
“Look Cade- cards on the table, I’ve already been told by my grandfather’s lawyer that there’s an offer on the table from someone called Carson-“
“Devanaux.” Cade finished for her, his eyes suddenly dark with the annoyance that washed through him.
“Pissed that he got in first?”
“No- that he didn’t wait until after your grandfather was buried to talk business as is the custom-“ Cade brought the cup to his lips for something to centre his attention on- if he didn’t rein in his anger, he might just be spitting out nails. The smell of the coffee hit his sensitive nose and he winced.
“Well as Mr Devanaux seems to have jump started things, why don’t you just throw your hat in the ring-“ She offered noting the way he reacted to the coffee and lifted the cup, taking a careful sniff and wincing herself. Her cup joined his back on the counter top, untouched.
“Why don’t I show you- come back to my land with me- meet the family- take a look around at how we live with the land and what we would be doing to your land if you sold it to us-“ He gave an odd smile down at the coffee cups before bringing his eyes back to her with a wry smile. “And- city girl- I can offer you a better cup of coffee than that for your trouble.” He mused and she couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Well it is just next door- neighbour- where could the harm be in that?- Let me go freshen up- ten minutes?”
He nodded and pulled his cell phone out when she left the room, scrolling to Whit’s number he dialled and waited.
“Hey Whit- I’m bringing Ms Gerrard over for a little visit- get the coffee brewing and make sure everyone knows she’s going to be there - we don’t need any awkward moments.”
Vicky sat quietly in the passenger seat of Cade’s shiny new truck as they took a slow drive from her land to Cade’s and he pointed out things along the way, but mainly let her take in the sights around her. The long winding track up to what Cade called the main cabin, but probably would have passed for a lodge, wound through the woodlands that he informed her stretched all across his land.
By the time Vicky dragged her eyes away from the main house and turned in her seat to open the door, Cade was already pulling it open and holding out his hand to help her out. Shively was alive and well in this part of the country. She mused as she placed her hand in his and felt the heat from his skin penetrate her cold hand- his eyes locking on hers as he watched her intently and when a shiver ran through her, she even saw a brief look of amusement cross his face.
The door to the large house was pulled open and Vicky saw another six foot tall- warrior God walk out onto the porch, his eyes taking her in from her boots to the woollen hat on her head and everything in between- his gaze was intense- nearly as intense as Cade’s. What was it with these country men? And did they all look like that out here?
“Vicky this is my brother Whit- Whit- Vicky Gerrard.” Whit offered his hand towards her and she saw Cade turn towards him, almost blocking his path as she took the younger man’s hand and shook it- Whit’s eyes flicking from Cade’s back to hers before he dropped her hand and shoved his in the pockets of his jeans.
“Nice to meet you Vicky- Anna’s got the coffee on if you wanna go grab a cup-“
When Cade turned back to her- she noticed a little tension that seemed to have crept onto his face, but dismissed it- when he motioned for her to go in, she felt the spot where he placed his hand against the small of her back with a warming vengeance, that had her blood heating by quite a few degrees within her body and tried really hard to dismiss it.
Steering her through the house, he managed to point out a few things on the way to the kitchen, but her mind kept wandering to the feel of his hand over several layers of clothing- that could just as easily not have been there at all.
“Anna- this is Vicky Gerrard- My sister Anna.” Cade made the introductions before walking over to the coffee pot and pouring two cups- the loss of his proximity bothered her and she didn’t know why- but not as much as the loss of his hand on her back- this was crazy- she didn’t do swooning- she didn’t do flirtations and she certainly didn’t do any kind of relationships anymore- they were just complications in her otherwise orderly life.
“Sorry about your grandfather Vicky.” Anna offered and Whit walked into the kitchen, snatc
hing up one of Anna’s freshly baked cookies and nodding his own sympathy for her loss.
“Thanks and I understand I have you to thank for the food that Cade brought over.” Anna smiled as her eyes flashed to Whit’s before returning to hers.
“It’s like tradition-“ she offered quietly and Cade turned and grinned at Vicky remembering that jibe about them not getting on earlier- he sauntered back to the counter with two cups of steaming coffee.
“Vicky knows that we didn’t see eye to eye with her grandfather. She’s had an offer from Devanaux for her land-“
“That slimy little-“ Anna spat out and then stopped herself, her cheeks going bright red as she gave Vicky an apologetic look. Vicky shrugged her shoulders with a smile.
“Vicky’s been kind enough to allow our guy’s onto her land to remove any animal traps we can find Whit- do you want to round up some volunteers and get started while there’s still light out?”
Vicky was about to lift the cup to her lips, when all eyes turned to her- like an unspoken conversation had gone on- something she wasn’t privy too and she hesitated as Anna beamed at her. “That’s really nice of you Vicky. Thank you.”
“Hey if the big bad wolf comes knocking on the door in the middle of the night- I don’t have to answer right?” Cade nearly choked on a sip of coffee as Whit slapped him on the back, with a grin almost as wide as his face.
“Perhaps Cade can have a word with them- he’s kind of like the wolf whisperer around here.” Whit offered before turning and taking off with a handful of Anna’s cookies and Cade glaring at his back.
“I don’t think you’ll have any trouble Vicky- they’ve never caused us any.” Anna mused before excusing herself and following Whit out of the room, with a grin that matched her brothers as Cade motioned towards the stools and Vicky slipped up onto one, her eyes flicking over the kitchen around her. Modern and functional, unlike her grandfather’s place.